Let’s Clean The Oven… Naturally!

I use to just hit self clean, but my oven doesn’t like that function anymore. The oven still works fine, but it isn’t cleaning itself. I’ve become very eco-friendly over the years. I started mainly because of the price tag, but found my house is fresher using natural products.

My oven didn’t look that great in the interior. It was grimy, greasy, and some unknown burn stains were there. It’s not like people show off the inside of their oven to guests, so I guess we really don’t think too much about it. This is a “for me” job. I mean if I was at a restaurant and happen to see this is where they are preparing the food I ordered; I’d politely leave. So, since I am the one serving food out of this thing, I’d better live up to at least those standards, right?

Items You Need:

What To Do:

Take out the oven racks. You want the oven to be empty.

Prepare a baking soda mixture.

In a bowl:

Mix ½ cup of baking soda with enough water needed to make a paste.

Spread the paste all over the interior surfaces of your oven EXCEPT THE HEATING ELEMENT. This is a pretty dirty job. Gloves might help. Using a soft sponge might help, but a cloth works fine. You will see the white paste becoming brown as you spread it on.

Go to bed (kidding, stay up and watch Conan). This stuff has to sit there for at least 10-12 hours. Just make sure the entire interior is covered.

Oven Rack Time.You can use a bathtub, a sink, or a garbage bag (double bag in my opinion) filled with water:

Cover the racks with hot water: Fill your bathtub, sink, or bag with very hot water until the oven racks are covered.

Take your dishwasher detergent: Measure out a ½ cup of dishwasher detergent.

Add the detergent to the water: Swish it around. Allow the racks to soak for 4 hours, or overnight.

Brush off any remaining gunk: After soaking, gunk and stains on the racks should be soft and easy to wipe off. Use a non-abrasive scrub brush or sponge.

Back To The Oven:

10-12 hours have gone by. Take a damp cloth and wipe out as much of the dried baking soda paste as you can.

Pour distilled white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray everywhere you still see baking soda residue in the oven. If it foams, it’s working.

Use a clean wet cloth and wipe out the remains. Then place the oven racks back into place and the job is done.

Total cost should be less than 15 dollars, but chances are you already had most of the stuff needed for the job. Hope this helps anyone in the situation I was in. Take Care.

I use to just hit self clean, but my oven doesn’t like that function anymore. The oven still works fine, but it isn’t cleaning itself. I’ve become very eco-friendly over the years. I started mainly because of the price tag, but found my house is fresher using natural products.

My oven didn’t look that great in the interior. It was grimy, greasy, and some unknown burn stains were there. It’s not like people show off the inside of their oven to guests, so I guess we really don’t think too much about it. This is a “for me” job. I mean if I was at a restaurant and happen to see this is where they are preparing the food I ordered; I’d politely leave. So, since I am the one serving food out of this thing, I’d better live up to at least those standards, right?

Items You Need:

What To Do:

Take out the oven racks. You want the oven to be empty.

Prepare a baking soda mixture.

In a bowl:

Mix ½ cup of baking soda with enough water needed to make a paste.

Spread the paste all over the interior surfaces of your oven EXCEPT THE HEATING ELEMENT. This is a pretty dirty job. Gloves might help. Using a soft sponge might help, but a cloth works fine. You will see the white paste becoming brown as you spread it on.

Go to bed (kidding, stay up and watch Conan). This stuff has to sit there for at least 10-12 hours. Just make sure the entire interior is covered.

Oven Rack Time.You can use a bathtub, a sink, or a garbage bag (double bag in my opinion) filled with water:

Cover the racks with hot water: Fill your bathtub, sink, or bag with very hot water until the oven racks are covered.

Take your dishwasher detergent: Measure out a ½ cup of dishwasher detergent.

Add the detergent to the water: Swish it around. Allow the racks to soak for 4 hours, or overnight.

Brush off any remaining gunk: After soaking, gunk and stains on the racks should be soft and easy to wipe off. Use a non-abrasive scrub brush or sponge.

Back To The Oven:

10-12 hours have gone by. Take a damp cloth and wipe out as much of the dried baking soda paste as you can.

Pour distilled white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray everywhere you still see baking soda residue in the oven. If it foams, it’s working.

Use a clean wet cloth and wipe out the remains. Then place the oven racks back into place and the job is done.

Total cost should be less than 15 dollars, but chances are you already had most of the stuff needed for the job. Hope this helps anyone in the situation I was in. Take Care.